Circular details

Title:

Excluded Cosmetic Procedures

Document ID:

Operational Circular OP 1738/04

Date of issue:

Thursday, 15 January 2004

Status:

NO LONGER APPLICABLE

File number(s):

03-03908

Description:

This Operational Circular outlines the recommendations of the Director General of Health in relation to surgical cosmetic procedures that will not be undertaken in a Public Hospital in Western Australia. For the purposes of this Operational Circular this also includes public patients in Joondalup and Peel Health Campuses.

Excluded Cosmetic Procedures

This Operational Circular outlines the recommendations of the Director General of Health in relation to surgical cosmetic procedures that will not be undertaken in a Public Hospital in Western Australia. For the purposes of this Operational Circular this also includes public patients in Joondalup and Peel Health Campuses.

Additions to Elective Surgery Waiting List

The following list of cosmetic surgical procedures will be excluded from addition to the Elective Surgery Waiting List as from 18 December 2003. Where exceptional clinical circumstances arise. The Director of Medical Services will be required to give signed approval before the patient is placed on the public elective surgery wait list.

Advise Medical staff of excluded procedures and the date of exclusion from the list and that no further additions are to occur. Where clinically indicated any addition of an excluded procedure to the waiting list will require written approval by the Area Director of Medical Services for Public Hospitals, and the Director of Medical Services in the privately managed public hospital . A copy of this approval is to be placed on the patient's medical record and a copy maintained at the Area Health Service and available for review as required.

Arrange for reviews of any currently listed cases, identified as clinically appropriate.

Ensure that the approval and clinical reasons for inclusion on the waiting list of an excluded cosmetic procedure is noted on TOPAS.

New listings on the Elective Surgery Waiting List

Where clinically indicated any addition of an excluded procedure to the waiting list will require written approval by the, Area Director of Medical Services for Public Hospitals, and the Director of Medical Services in the privately managed public hospital. A copy of this approval is to be placed on the patient's medical record and a copy maintained at the Area Health Service and for review as required.

Auditing and Reporting

Auditing, monitoring, and reporting of these excluded procedures will be undertaken by the Central Wait List Bureau Resource Management (CWLB) to ensure compliance with this Circular. Performance reporting will be provided to the State Health Management Team. Audit will include;

Compliance with the removal of all patients with excluded procedures by close of business on 23 January 2004.

Regular and Random audit to ensure any patient who are listed or who undergo surgery for an excluded cosmetic procedure have evidence on record of the clinical assessment and approval.

Regular and random audit to ensure no further excluded procedures are added to the wait list.

Regular and random audit to ensure patients with excluded procedures, who were identified for removal, are not added to or retained on the waiting list for a substituted, but similar, non excluded procedure.

Regular and random audit to ensure patients with excluded procedures are not added or retained as an uncoded procedure.

Appeals

Should the decision of the Area Director of Medical Services be disputed the Chief Medical Officer will review the circumstances.

General Practice Divisions

Advice will be provided to General Practice Divisions for the information of their members, regarding the procedures to be excluded from the WA Public Health Service Elective Surgery Waiting List.